The Hobby has come a long way.

[guzzo]

A long time ago in Qld before you could buy a reptile in a pet shop I went to a pet xpo in Bris. I saw a reptile display and joined a club and got an application form to get a license. A news letter was sent out from the club every so often and I sourced a Spotted Mac which I am pretty sure then was classified as a Liasis Maculosa. I think I paid $150.00 as a hatchy. I then was hooked and got a coastal for $80.00.

There was not much info available and if you wanted something you pretty much had to make it. My heat was from converted waterbed heaters wired into light bulbs with the thermostat placed on a basking shelf (or in the coastals enclosure the upturned lid of a record player)

I was considered an oddity by my peers for keeping snakes...some people even refused to come to my house haha (no real loss)

Anyhow I had those snakes for about 5 years before I had to give them to a trusted friend ( only other licenced owner I knew too) due to work and change of circumstances.

Well in Nov of 2009 I walked past a pet shop In Darwin and bought (on impulse I might add) a little Darwin carpet and once again relapsed into the Hobby...and boy had it changed.......The pet stores sold so much gear, Thermostats, heat pads, hides light cages...anything and everything...Then there was the net too info at your fingertips.....all of a sudden i also discovered APS......All the questions I ever wanted to ask was just now a dumb question away......and with a search had most likely already been asked.....heaps of online friends with the same intrest……fantastic.

Anyhow thinking back and looking forward i feel so lucky to be back in this great hobby. I have 4 Darwins now and of course am looking to expand.

The two pics are old scanned photos I found today of my first two snakes whilst I was at home with the flu.

P.S How I never got a snake burnt from no light cages i will never know. Light cages all the way for me know.


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[MathewB]

You should upload some pics of your Darwins!
Finding APS was an accident for me and then I found out it was awesome! hehe
Gotta love it!

 

[CamdeJong]

Great story guzzo! I just spent the last four hours in a chemistry workshop for uni so it's nice to come home and read something like this! Thanks for sharing.

 

[saximus]

Love it Guzzo. Thanks for sharing

 

[guzzo]

You should upload some pics of your Darwins!
Finding APS was an accident for me and then I found out it was awesome! hehe
Gotta love it!

My guys now from left to right Thomas,Alby,Pixie,Patty
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Thanks guys, We really are so lucky and it really has come a long way...even the choices out there are more than I think i will ever run out of in a hurry haha........might run out of money though making choices,,,,

 

[MathewB]

Thanks for the pics!
Beautiful pictures of some lovely looking snakes. I love the colours of the Darwins, really nice.

 

[saximus]

Thanks for the pics!
Beautiful pictures of some lovely looking snakes. I love the colours of the Darwins, really nice.

+1
Guzzo I told myself no more Morelias but your Darwins are making me rethink that decision

 

[guzzo]

Thanks for the pics!
Beautiful pictures of some lovely looking snakes. I love the colours of the Darwins, really nice.

Thanks mate, you should get one....if you don't already have one.......My standard Darwin male is my favourite

+1
Guzzo I told myself no more Morelias but your Darwins are making me rethink that decision

Hahah you have to get more......

 

[Snakeluvver2]

I remember coming home with a pair of coastals for a carton or beer when I was 12.
And Dad getting a Brown Tree Snake off some bloke in Sydney for two cartons of beer.

Beer is the national currency

 

[guzzo]

I remember coming home with a pair of coastals for a carton or beer when I was 12.
And Dad getting a Brown Tree Snake off some bloke in Sydney for two cartons of beer.

Beer is the national currency

Haha it sure is, if it can't be bought with beer then it's not for sale

 

[1stprincess]

thanks for the story, great looking snakes

 

[guzzo]

thanks for the story, great looking snakes

Thanks princess,

The availability of information these days is the great thing.

I could never get enough...it was always the same old library books I hired and re hired on snakes and no pet magazines featured reptiles.

Of course there was (and still is) people who were all to happy to tell the tall stories but what I really wanted was info on the keeping and husbandry of snakes and that was just so hard to find.

I am sure there are heaps out there who are the real poineers of our hobby in Australia that must have some great stories of how far things have come since the hept their first herp.

 

[MathewB]

Thanks mate, you should get one....if you don't already have one.......My standard Darwin male is my favorite

I would have one but my dad hates them and he also said that it would have to go outside with my Lizards. So really I have no choice haha

 

[guzzo]

I would have one but my dad hates them and he also said that it would have to go outside with my Lizards. So really I have no choice haha

First rule...never give up on dad..........The publics attitudes to reptiles has changed greatly.......most people fear what they do not understand. I am sure if he would love helping his son build an enclosure. Next time you have a Pet Expo in your area get him to take you.

 

[MathewB]

I'm pretty sure the gold coast expo is in June or July so I can try to convince him, shouldn't be too hard I convinced about getting and breeding Cunningham's Skinks hehe. I've tried a lot of different angles trying to sway him towards a new indoor/outdoor enclosure but he said they are expensive and the snake could escape, but I haven't tried 'Why don't we build our own so we can guarantee it doesn't escape?'. I have found a new angle! Thanks HAZA

 

[Wild~Touch]

The publics attitudes to reptiles has changed greatly

Last weekend The Herpetological Society of Queensland had a display and info table at The Qld. State Bird Fair & Expo
which did help educate some non reptile folk.
It was an awesome day out .......after people we chatted with went away feeling happier about the "dreaded" snake population.

There's a certain satisfaction when they come over to our side

Cheers
Sandee

 

[guzzo]

The publics attitudes to reptiles has changed greatly

Last weekend The Herpetological Society of Queensland had a display and info table at The Qld. State Bird Fair & Expo
which did help educate some non reptile folk.
It was an awesome day out .......after people we chatted with went away feeling happier about the "dreaded" snake population.

There's a certain satisfaction when they come over to our side

Cheers
Sandee

That is great Sandee, and is what is needed.

Everybody who gains a bit of understanding through our hobby (and ultimately all of us as ambassadors) is hopefully one more person that will not first reach for a shovel or deliberatly run over a snake just because it is there.

All my family who had either no intrest or a unexplained dislike for snakes now even show a kind of intrest. Even my dear old mum who would sqeem at the meer mention of a snake would happily look "as long as you keep it in the enclosure" she would say hahah

I'm pretty sure the gold coast expo is in June or July so I can try to convince him, shouldn't be too hard I convinced about getting and breeding Cunningham's Skinks hehe. I've tried a lot of different angles trying to sway him towards a new indoor/outdoor enclosure but he said they are expensive and the snake could escape, but I haven't tried 'Why don't we build our own so we can guarantee it doesn't escape?'. I have found a new angle! Thanks HAZA

Mate I bet he would love it esp if he fancies himself as a handyman and i am sure by the time you both had finished he probably would be the one who could not wait to get an occupant for it...Best of luck

 

[MathewB]

Mate I bet he would love it esp if he fancies himself as a handyman and i am sure by the time you both had finished he probably would be the one who could not wait to get an occupant for it...Best of luck

He is kinda a handyman haha. Hmmm I don't know I can pretty exicted Thanks

 

[guzzo]

He is kinda a handyman haha. Hmmm I don't know I can pretty exicted Thanks

Show him some pics of enclosures on this site and say "hey dad i bet we can make a better one than that" just make sure you post pics if you do....

 

[longqi]

Hobby Changes
Remember ringing someone and waiting until after they finished work because there no mobiles?
"send me a photo please' what a bloody drama that was
Buy film
take photo
get developed.... Chick in the chemist goes 'Oh yucky these are snake pics'
post photo and hope it gets there
Send snakes through AAE??? Didnt even exist then
put in a box on the bus most times [NOT saying it was a snake]
snakes in Public???? Forget it
Good information apart from a few outdated books????
No internet then

Lots of changes and mostly really good ones